Building automation systems encompass a wide variety of systems that aid in the monitoring and control of various aspects of building operation. Building safety and automation systems include fire safety systems, security systems, lighting systems, and HVAC systems. Each of these systems may have a control panel or station that communicates over a network with network addressable devices or terminal equipment (“Building Devices”).
The unique communication address of such a conventional addressable Building Device is typically manually set using a dip switch or may be preprogrammed in a memory of the device during factory manufacturing of the device as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,693,529 for use in a fire alarm system. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,693,529, a factory preprogrammed device may have its address in memory changed based on a command message transmitted from a control panel after the Building Device is installed. But dip switches, fixed rotary switches or other types of switches located within a Building Device are not often easily accessible once the Building Device has already been installed on a wall or ceiling. Moreover, reprogramming the Building Device using a control panel requires the network connection to the Building Device to be complete and operational, which does not allow for convenient or cost effective installation of such devices, for example, for a fire alarm system.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,619,125 discloses that a mobile programming device may be used to wirelessly communicate with a notification safety device (i.e., one type of Building Device) in a fire alarm system to program the address of such notification device after installation but prior to establishing network communication with a fire panel. However, such an arrangement requires the safety device to have a wireless interface that may be expensive and be programmed to be responsive to a corresponding mobile programming device.
Certain conventional addressable Building Devices have address programming limitations once the device is electrically connected to a network and installed on a building wall or other infrastructure since the electrical connections are not exposed for access after installation. For example, conventional addressable manual pull stations are affixed to vertical building walls by attachment to a standard single or double gang electrical switch box located on the wall. The pull station is attached to the box by using standard mounting screws. Electrical connections (i.e., for data communication over power lines) between the pull station and fire panel are made via screw terminals located on the rear of the pull station device. Address programming of the pull stations is accomplished by connecting a device programming unit (DPU) such as available from Siemens Industry, Inc., Building Technologies Division, to the pull station via network terminal connections accessible from the back of the pull station. The pull station is typically programmed with a unique address before connecting to the fire panel and mounting the pull station to the wall box.
However, in order to change the address of such a conventional addressable pull station after installation, the door that serves as the alarm actuator has to be opened to access the mounting screws, and the pull station has to be removed from the wall to gain access to the network terminal connections. The power/network wiring to the network terminal connections on the conventional addressable pull station must then be disconnected. The programming device (DPU) can then be connected via a plug or other type of connector to the network terminal connections of the pull station. However, depending on the loop configuration of the power/network wiring, this procedure is disruptive since it stops the operation of some or all other devices connected on that branch of the fire panel. Furthermore, the opening of the pull station door causes a fire alarm to be initiated by a corresponding fire control panel that does not have a means to otherwise discriminate between a normal activation by the pull station and maintenance or address reprogramming condition. Moreover, resetting an activated pull station also requires that the door that functions as the alarm actuator to be opened.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improvement in pull stations or other Building Devices in a fire safety system or building automation system that addresses the foregoing problems, including enabling address programming of such a device after installation without having to remove the device from the wall or other building infrastructure on which it was installed, having to manually disconnect the device from the power/network terminal connections before connecting it to a PDU, inhibiting initiating a fire alarm upon opening the door or actuator of a pull station type Building Device, eliminating need to open the door or actuator to reset such a pull station, and providing means to signal to a fire control panel to distinguish between a normal fire alarm condition from a maintenance or address programming condition.